Dunbar, a lifelong Metal Edge reader who frequents nearly every hard rock show that plays in the region, says there was a lot of thought before attending a concert again after the fire. "I definitely had a few doubts in my mind," he remembers. "I questioned if it was right for me to be going." But there was never any question that he would ultimately continue to support live music and his favorite bands—even Great White. "You just have to go with your instincts," he says, aware that support is a point of contention between some survivors and families.
Sixteen acts took the stage at the Dunkin' Donuts Center for a 4-hour show that crossed over musical genres. The 5,430 attendance seemed sparse, given the 14,000-plus capacity of the downtown Providence arena. Empty seats at the back of the hall were a woeful sight at first, but seemed to matter less as the night progressed. Snider served as a masterful emcee, provoking a proud sense of self-reliance in the face of five years of neglect from the mainstream music industry to the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in US history.
Gary Hoey opened the show with his "Star-Spangled Banner," followed by DC Talk singer Kevin Max with "Amazing Grace." His haunting take on David Bowie's "Heroes" with Stryper guitarist Oz Fox moved some to tears, but the night mostly seemed a jubilant celebration of love and life.
Several instances of players guesting with each other were prominent, including Boston guitarists Tom Scholz and Gary Pihl joining Stryper on "Peace Of Mind." Scholz, acknowledge from the stage as having donated $10,000 in addition to performing, was in the minority of area musicians on the bill. Although Snider denounced their abscence backstage, he put a more positive spin on the lack of regional bands like Godsmack and Aerosmith by encouraging applause for New Englanders who did appear when introducing Aaron Lewis.
The Staind singer was a visible highlight of the night with "It's Been Awhile" and cover of Bob Seger's "Turn The Page," and also former Mr. Big frontman Eric Martin who drew a rousing response with "To Be With You." Surprisingly, for an event perceived as a hard rock show, John Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Dierks Bentley were cheered for their set that included a country version of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," and a powerful cover of Heart's "Straight On."
Rolling Stone, Metal Edge and regional TV stations represented some of the media reporting on the event. Todd King, a Station fire survivor and fund board member who co-organized the concert, was the center of attention as much as the bands scrambling backstage before the show. VH1 filmed the activity onstage and off for Aftermath: The Station Fire Five Years Later that aired a month later. Dunbar thinks increased media awareness is not only necessary to raise funds, but also to underscore that due to the severity of their injuries, many survivors will always need assistance. "It's taken five years just to get to this point. There's a lot of people who need some serious help," he says, thinking the variety of talent broadened awareness beyond being just a hair band problem.
"Just guys who love music" is how Scott remembers Derek Gray and Eugene "Gino" Avilez, two friends with him who died in the Station fire. He counts King's X a week earlier as the last concert they saw together, where they made plans to see Great White. Dunbar remembers the car stereo malfunctioning halfway to West Warwick, forcing them to talk. "We were able to really talk," he reflects about the conversation that included plans to revive Metal Action, his defunct fanzine that was admittedly distributed by "sticking it in Metal Edge magazines at Barnes & Noble."
"We talked about a lot of stuff. If we had the CD player blasting, we wouldn't have been able to talk like we did. I thank God when I think about it, that that CD player broke."
In addition to the one hundred people who died in the fire, approximately two hundred were injured. More than sixty children lost one or both parents as a result of the blaze. Despite settlements worth millions of dollars, disbursement of any money will not be immediate. As Snider explained during aToday show segment on the fifth anniversary of the fire, estimated allotments of $50,000 to $70,000 per person will not go far toward paying outstanding medical costs, much less a lifetime of daily living expenses.
Dee alluded all night that the Station Family Fund has basically taken care of their own for the past five years. Dunbar says he's come to know many fellow survivors and family members as a result of the tight-knit family of people affected by the fire. "It's a common bond that you share, so you definitely get to know a lot of people who were unfortunately involved in this situation."
Watching the audience that included people who were visibly survivors, the realization that it could have been any of us was potent. Joe Kinan, who joined the onstage all-star singalong of "We're Not Gonna Take It," has no left eye, ears or fingers. Hospitalized for nearly a year following the fire, he's endured over one hundred surgeries so far. Seeing him put the reality of the aftermath into perspective. The triumphant elation of the Phoenix Rising concert receded the following day back to the routine of daily life, but it was hard not to try to imagine the painful reality of Joe's daily life.
For the victims and families of those lost in the Station nightclub fire, that night will never end. Phoenix Rising is the beginning of never forgetting them. Visit www.stationfamilyfund.org for more information about the Station Family Fund.
Originally published in Metal Edge, June 2008
